1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to heat dissipating devices for water purifier's thermoelement cooling the purified water and, more particularly, to a structural improvement in such heat dissipating devices for effectively dissipating heat of the thermoelement's hot junction using either fresh water or waste water of the water purifier as a refrigerant and thereby rapidly cooling the purified water and improving the water cooling effect of the thermoelement while neither wasting electric energy nor generating operational noise.
2. Description of the Prior art
Most conventional water purifiers have no means for cooling the purified water before delivering the purified water for users to drink. Therefore, the conventional water purifies having no water cooling means can not help delivering tepid purified water for the users to drink particularly in the summer season. As well known to people, the cold purified water is fit to drink particularly in the summer season. However, the conventional water purifiers having no water cooling means can not provide cold purified water for the users but merely provides tepid water for the users. In order to cool the purified water delivered from such water purifiers and thereby making the purified water be fit to drink in the summer season, there is no way in the prior art except for either preserving the purified water in a freezing or cooling chamber of a refrigerator for a time or adding ices into the purified water. However, to preserve the purified water in a refrigerator for a time or to use the ices for providing the cold purified water for the users is problematic in that it not only wastes energy, but also annoys the users.
In an effort to solve the above problems caused by the conventional water purifiers having no water cooling means, this applicant proposed a water cooling device for water purifier in Korean patent Appln. No. 94-25892.
In the above Korean patent application, a thermoelement having N- and P-type semiconductors is mounted to the outer bottom of a purified water tank of a water purifier. The bottom of the hot junction of the thermoelement is provided with a heat dissipating panel for effectively dissipating heat of the hot junction to the surroundings. Additionally, a motor fan is placed under the dissipating panel of the thermoelement for promoting the heat dissipation of the panel. Meanwhile, the cold junction of the thermoelement is thermally coupled to the purified water tank and absorbs the heat from the purified water in the tank. The heat absorbed by the cold junction in turn is dissipated to the surroundings from the hot junction having the dissipating panel and thereby cooling the purified water in the water tank before delivering the water for users to drink. In this case, the motor fan provides air current for the dissipating panel to promote heat dissipation of the panel and thereby improving the water cooling efficiency of the thermoelement and rapidly cooling the purified water.
However, use of the motor fan for promoting the heat dissipation of the dissipating panel is problematic in that the motor fan not only increases the total weight of the water purifier, but also wastes electric energy to increase the operating cost of the water purifier. Furthermore, the motor fan generates operational noise.